Dark Shadows joins Decades' evening lineup

"What the heck is happening with Dark Shadows over at Decades?"

It's a question I've been asking myself all week as conflicting news about the television series began to hit websites as diverse as Broadway World and Dread Central. I didn't help matters earlier in the month when we incorrectly announced DARK SHADOWS was returning to Decades as part of its weekend programming called "The Binge" for Halloween. This turned out to be absolutely wrong, but the press release that went out earlier this week didn't clarify things much.

As it reads, the announcement suggests that Decades would be airing 260 episodes of DARK SHADOWS as part of a Halloween event beginning Oct. 29 ... which is partially true. The channel will be airing an episode each night that week at midnight, after which it will remain on the schedule in that timeslot until 2019. I've been told the show will remain a regular part of the channel's programming until at least next Spring, but if you do the math 260 episodes is enough to let Decades show an episode every weeknight for an entire year. That will take audiences from the introduction of Barnabas Collins in #210 to #470, shortly before Adam is fully assembled by Dr. Eric Lang. That's a LOT of story.

To summarize, beginning Oct. 29 Decades will be airing an episode of DARK SHADOWS Monday-Friday at midnight until sometime in 2019.

Viewing numbers will probably play a role in how long DARK SHADOW/ Decades relationship lasts because that's how TV works. We'll have to wait and see what happens, but that doesn't mean we should sit on our hands. I expect The Collinsport Historical Society to organize online viewing parties for particular episodes so, if you don't already have a Twitter account, I suggest you sign up for one before Oct. 29. We need to show Decades that we want DARK SHADOWS to become a permanent part of its lineup and an active, passionate web presence will certainly not hurt our case.

To find out where to watch DECADES click http://decades.com/